After signing a letter of intent in volleyball with Johnson Community College in Kansas City last week in the media center at Boonville High School, senior Bailey Pfeiffer said there were several reasons for picking JCCC over other schools such as Missouri Southern, Parkville and Independence.

Although Kansas City is just a short drive from Boonville, Pfeiffer said the coaches are great, as is their program.

“I love the Kansas City area and JCCC’s campus,” Pfeiffer said.

Johnson County Community College volleyball coach Jennifer Ei said the coaching staff is very excited to have Pfeiffer join the JCCC family.

“She is an extremely athletic and competitive player who will fit in well with a strong returning roster for 2013,” Ei said. “Bailey’s athleticism and demeanor on the court showed us that she is a true competitor willing to work hard to help her team become successful. She has knowledge and experience at both the setter and outside hitter positions, which makes her a very versatile addition to the roster.”

While playing multiple positions on the floor in her stellar career at Boonville, head coach Susie Stone said Pfeiffer led the offensive attack from the outside position and set for the Lady Pirates off the back row.

“We used her in 75 percent of serve-receive rotations due to her strong passing in serve-receive,” Stone said. “She is versatile and has the ability to pick apart the opponents court with hard angles, roll shots and tips.”

With 20-plus wins on the season, Pfeiffer also led the Lady Pirates almost every category with 331 digs, 297 kills, 78 blocks, 61 aces on 198 earned service points and 3.1 serve-receive on a 4.0 scale.

Pfeiffer also had impressive career stats for the Lady Pirates with 1,163 digs, 921 kills, 902 assists, 289 blocks and 204 aces.

Stone said Pfeiffer’s career at BHS has given her opportunities to learn multiple positions on the court.

“Her freshmen year she played right side blocker and set the second ball when her setter took the first defensive touch,” Stone said. “I knew her freshmen year we needed to start developing her hands because she is very athletic, quick and she had solid setting form. Her sophomore, junior and senior year she was one of our setters and outside hitters. Her sophomore year she even hit middle for us one rotation. Bailey is the type of player that fills whatever role you need her for.

“Her athleticism is probably one of her strongest assets as a player. She is very deceptive with her ability; she has a quick aggressive jump that gives her a nice vertical for a player her height. She has the ability to see the court during her attack approach and is able to place a cut shot, angle attack or tip to the open area on the court. Her left hand gives an advantage when she plays right side and from a setting standpoint as well.”

Page 2 of 3 - Stone commented further that Pfeiffer serve-receives very well and her ability to pass and play defensive will give her a chance to play all the way around at the next level. Stone said not only is she quick, but she also has good jumping ability and has court sense.

“That is what helps set her apart from other players,” Stone said. “Her commitment to the weight room for four years and off-season workouts have proven positive results in her athletic performance. She has helped lead our team for the past three years and been a vital part of our programs success. Multiple coaches would ask me before pre-game is the Pfeiffer girls last season finally. Then they would say please tell me you don’t have any more Pfeiffer girls coming up. Bailey followed the play of her sister Bethany, who was a four-year varsity letterwinner for us as well. We have been fortunate for eight years to have Pfeiffer athletes in the volleyball program.”

Coach Ei also likes the fact that Pfeiffer is left handed.

“Bailey has a big advantage on the court as a setter, a position she has experience playing,” Ei said. “We would also like to have the option of playing her as an outside or right side hitter, depending on what our team needs from her.”

With JCCC being only a two-year school, Pfeiffer said she wants to get her general education out of the way and focus on volleyball.

“My long-term goal is to figure out what I want to do career-wise and decide if I want to continue playing volleyball,” Pfeiffer said.

With so many highlights in her career, Pfeiffer said playing on the high school traveling team as an eighth grader and making varsity her freshman year was the greatest feeling.

Pfeiffer also had a favorite game in which she felt she excelled on the court.

“My best game this year was in the first set against Rock Bridge,” Pfeiffer said. “We stayed positive and very aggressive. I thought we had a good season, but not a great one this year. I had high expectations but we just had some small errors that we couldn’t fix.”

As far as playing at the next level, Pfeiffer said as a setter connecting with the hitters is very important. Foot work and reading the blockers, she said, is also important to know where to place the ball.

“I love volleyball,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s a sport I can play all year round without getting tired of it. After college volleyball s over with, I will still be playing hopefully.”

Pfeiffer said she was also influence in the game of volleyball by her big sister, Bethany. “You could say I followed in her foot steps,” Pfeiffer said. “I look up to her because she is such a great athlete.”

Page 3 of 3 - While earning all-conference, all-district and all-region honors throughout her career at Boonville, Stone said nobody loves a challenge more than Pfeiffer, which is one reason she will fit right in at the next level.

“Her post-season honors are multiple and I am excited she is getting the opportunity to pursue volleyball as part of her college experience,” Stone said.